What a wonderful Wiz he was

I'm generally a big fan of anyone who can take the complex or daunting and turn it into something accessible and understandable to those who need to know. Don Herbert was one of those people.

If that name doesn't immediately register in your mind as recognizable, you'll likely to better know Herbert as "Mr. Wizard," the host of the kid-friendly science shows that laid the groundwork for folks like Bill Nye the Science Guy.

Like many in my generation, I discovered "Mr. Wizard" in his later days on cable's Nickelodeon. "Mr. Wizard's World," I'm told, was the longest-running show on Nickelodeon.

One would like to think he had the effect on children and their interest in science that the space program and NASA have had over the years.

Whether or not that's the case, Herbert was a veteran of the Second World War, flying B-24 bombers for the Army Air Corps and taking part in the invasion of Italy. That alone gets him a spot of honor in the history books.

Here's to you, Don Herbert!